I do use an alarm clock, but after going to bed at the right time for a couple of evenings, I start to wake up on my own, a little before the clock would sound. The alarm clock is just there as a backup, and to let me remain mostly-awake in bed for about 10-20 minutes longer before telling me to actually get up (as opposed to just getting awake).
ETA: I should specify that if I don’t go to bed at the right time, I don’t wake up naturally—well, I do, but so late that I’ll feel groggy and generally inenergetic.
Hmm, I still don’t know if I should be surprised or not, as I’m having trouble parsing your last sentence. When you go to bed late, do you not set your alarm clock? Or do you sleep through your alarm? Or do you wake up naturally (but groggy) right before the alarm goes off?
A) Going to bed late and setting the alarm at the usual early time B) Going to bed late and setting the alarm a couple of hours later C) Going to bed late and not setting an alarm at all
With A, I’ll wake to the clock but be groggy. With B I’m not necessarily so groggy but still not as energetic as I would have if I’d gone to bed early and woken up early. With C I’ll wake up naturally at some late time and feel pretty lethargic.
I was about to say that there are two dimensions here—groggy/neutral/awake and energetic/neutral/lethargic. Very roughly, A leaves me groggy/neutral, B leaves me neutral/neutral and C leaves me neutral/lethargic. But that doesn’t sound entirely right, either—all three often also tend to leave me an extra unspecified uncomfortable feeling that I can’t quite put into words, and which might be part of what I’m calling “groggy” or “lethargic” in the above. (Going to bed on time and getting up early leaves me awake/energetic or at least neutral/energetic, as well as without that extra uncomfortable feeling.)
I do use an alarm clock, but after going to bed at the right time for a couple of evenings, I start to wake up on my own, a little before the clock would sound. The alarm clock is just there as a backup, and to let me remain mostly-awake in bed for about 10-20 minutes longer before telling me to actually get up (as opposed to just getting awake).
ETA: I should specify that if I don’t go to bed at the right time, I don’t wake up naturally—well, I do, but so late that I’ll feel groggy and generally inenergetic.
Hmm, I still don’t know if I should be surprised or not, as I’m having trouble parsing your last sentence. When you go to bed late, do you not set your alarm clock? Or do you sleep through your alarm? Or do you wake up naturally (but groggy) right before the alarm goes off?
I have attempted:
A) Going to bed late and setting the alarm at the usual early time
B) Going to bed late and setting the alarm a couple of hours later
C) Going to bed late and not setting an alarm at all
With A, I’ll wake to the clock but be groggy. With B I’m not necessarily so groggy but still not as energetic as I would have if I’d gone to bed early and woken up early. With C I’ll wake up naturally at some late time and feel pretty lethargic.
I was about to say that there are two dimensions here—groggy/neutral/awake and energetic/neutral/lethargic. Very roughly, A leaves me groggy/neutral, B leaves me neutral/neutral and C leaves me neutral/lethargic. But that doesn’t sound entirely right, either—all three often also tend to leave me an extra unspecified uncomfortable feeling that I can’t quite put into words, and which might be part of what I’m calling “groggy” or “lethargic” in the above. (Going to bed on time and getting up early leaves me awake/energetic or at least neutral/energetic, as well as without that extra uncomfortable feeling.)